Emergency oil-cup.



No 864,991. PATENTEID SEPT. 3, 1907.

I 'R. T. RIGKARDS. P

'EMERGBNGY OIL 0UP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1906.

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awuwfot UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMERGENCY OIL-CUP.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented Sept. 3, 1907,

Application filed c -28, 1906. Serial No- 308,607.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD '1. RICKARDS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Emergency Oil-Cups, of which the following is a specification.

My invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in thatclass of automatically operating or emergency lubricating devices forjournal boxes, shafts or the like in which the supply of oil orlubricating and cooling medium for the shaft for instance, is controlledby a valve normally held seated under ordinary conditions by a plugfusible at a certain or predetermined temperature, so that when saidtemperature is reached by the shaft or journal becoming hot said plugwill melt and allow the valve to open to admit oil or a cooling medium,to the hot part.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterwhich will be composed of comparatively low and simple parts which willbe compactly arranged and durable and which will operate effectively toaccomplish the desired result.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means foreffecting the result, reference isto be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawing, in which the figure represents in verticallongitudinal section a shaftbearing and my invention applied thereto.

Referring to the drawing in which the invention is shown applied to ashaft, 1 designates the shaft and 2 the pedestal or bearing therefor.Within one side of the bearing 2 there is mounted a preferably screwthreaded bushing 3 which is provided atits inner or lower end with a webor cross plate 4 provided with a series of apertures 5establishingcommunication between the interior of the bushing and thespace (3 around the shaft 1, said space being preferably provided byscrewing the bushing 3 into the bearing 2 until its lower or webbed end4 projects but is slightly spaced from the shaft.

The bushing 3 is provided at its upper or outer end with an inwardlyextending preferably screw threaded annular flange '7 into which atubular valve casing 8 is screwed.

The casing 8 is provided with an extension 8 spaced from the inner wallsof the bushing 3 and providing an annular chamber 9 which communicateswith the interior of the casing by means of lateral ports 10 in thelatter.

Within the casing 8 is mounted a valve 11 the stem of which is providedat one end with a tapered or needle like construction which is the valveproper,

and to the other end of which is secured or integrally formed a disk 12.A spring 13 encircles the stem of the valve 11 and bears on the upper orouter surface of the disk 12 in a direction to unseat the valve from itsseat formed in the lower or under side of a bushing 14 screwed in theouter end of the casing 8, the spring bearing at its outer end on theinner face of said bushing.

The bushing 14 is provided with a passage 15 extending therethrough, theinner end of said passage forming the seat for the valve, and saidpassage constitutes a duct for the oil or other lubricating or coolingmedium.

A cap 16 is connected to the outer end of the casing 8 and surrounds thebushing 14 and is provided with means for the suitable connectionthereto of a pipe (not shown) leadingfrom the oil tank orother source ofsupply.

17 designates a regulating screw or pin which is mounted in the bushing14 and extends therethrough in an adjustable manner so that its innerend may be projected more or less into the duct 15 and thereby regulatethe flow of oil therefrom by decreasing the size of said duct to agreater or less extent.

The valve 11 is normally held to its seat, closing the duct 15 andcutting off the supply of oil by means of the fusible plug 18 which isinterposed between the inner face of the disk 12 and the outer face ofthe web 4. Whenever the shaft becomes dangerously hot, and itstemperature rises to the predetermined point, the plug 18 will fuse, andno longer support the disk 12. Hence the spring 13 will act in an inwarddirection on the disk and unseat the valve, permitting the oil or thelike to flow through and from the duct 15 into,the interior of thecasing 8 and thence through the lateral ports 10 into the chamber 9 andthen through the apertures 5 into the space 6 to act upon the shaft 1.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanyingdrawings it will be seen that I have provided an improved emergency orautomatically operating oil cap or lubricating device which will actpromptly upon a shaft orjournal when the same becomes hot to apredetermined degree, thereby avoiding the injurious and dangerousresults that ordinarily ensue from such a cause.

As illustrated in the drawings, the valve casing 8 may be provided nearits upper end with a lateral inlet pipe 19 designed for connection tothe regular oil cup, that is, the oil cup designed to feed oil or thelike to the shaft 1 under ordinary or normal conditions. By this meansoil may be fed to the shaft through the extension 19 and valve casing 9,and it will only be necessary to have the one opening into the bearingor pedestal the same opening serving for both the ordinary oil cup andthe emergency oil cup heretofore described.

Having thus described the invention What is claimed as new is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combina tion of a valvecasing designed for attachment to a source of supply and provided withan oil duct, a spring pressed valve designed to close one end of saidduct and provided at its other end with a disk the spring acting tounseat the valve, and a fusible plug designed to support the valve incontact with the end of said duct and against the action of said spring,as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a device of the character described the combination of a valvecasing arranged for connection to a source of supply and provided with aduct, a valve designed to close said duct and provided with a springtending to unseat it, a fusible plug designed to hold the said valveseated, and means for regulating the size of said duct, as and for thepurpose set forth.

In a device of the character described the combination of a valve casingarranged for connection to a source of supply, a bushing in one end ofsaid valve casing provided with a duct extending therethrough, aregulating screw mounted in said bushing and designed to be projected toa greater or less extent in the said duct whereby to regulate thepassage of fluid therethrough, a spring pressed valve designed to closesaid duct, and a fusible plug adapted to support said valve in seatedposition.

4. A device of the character described comprising a bushing adapted tobe screwed in a journal bearing or the like, a valvecasing mounted insaid bushing the interior of the valve casing communicating with theinterior of r the bushing and the latter being arranged to communicatewith a part to be lubricated, the bushing being provided with a web atits inner side, a valve designed to control the admission of oil andarranged to automatically unseat and a fusible plug interposed betweenthe valve and the Web of the bushing and adapted to support the valve inseated position.

5. A device of the character described comprising a bushing designed tobe secured to a journal hearing or the like and provided at its innerend with an apertured web, a valve easing secured in said bushing andproducing therewith an annular space, said space being in communicationwith the apertures of the web and with the interior of the valve casing,means for admitting oil to the interior of the valve casing andpermitting it to flow therethrough into the said annular space andthrough the apertures in the web to the part to be lubricated, the saidoil admission means including a valve tending to assume an unseatedposition, and a fusible plug interposed between a portion of the valveand the web and adapted to hold the valve seated.

G. A device of the character described comprising a bushing adapted tobe secured to a journal bearing or the like and provided at its innerend with an apertured web, a valve casing mounted in said bushing andprovided with lateral ports communicating with the interior of thebushing and 'with the apertures in the web thereof, a bushing secured inthe outer end of the valve casing and provided with an oil duct, aspring-inserted valve one end of which is adapted to seat against oneend of said duct, and the other end of said valve being provided with adisk against which the spring of the valve bears to unseat the same, afusible plug interposed between said disk and the web of the first namedbushing and a cap secured to the outer end of the valve casing andarranged for connection to the source of supply.

7. In a device of the character described the co1nbi11ation of a valvecasing designed for attachment to a source of supply and provided withan oil duct, a spring pressed valve designed to close said duct andprovided with a spring tending to unseat it, and a fusible plug designedto hold the said valve seated, the valve casing being provided betweenthe point at which the valve is adapted to'close the oil duct and itsend designed to be located adjacent a shaft or the like, with anextension adapted for attach ment to the regular oil cup or source ofsupply, as and for the purpose set forth.

8. in a device of the character described, the combination or avalve-casing designed for attachment to a source of supply and providedwith an oil-duct, a spring-pressed valve designed to close one end ofsaid duct, the spring acting to unseat the valve, and a fusible plugdesigned to support the valve in contact with the end of said duct andagainst the action of said spring, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD '1. RICKARDS. [1,. s.]

Witnesses Josnrn l). LEIGH, CHAS. (3. Fnmmn.

